1997 Civic Intermittent A/C

[ihgrad]

My 1997 Civic A/C is acting up. When I turn it on, it runs cold sometimes, sometimes not. Sometimes, it'll run cold and then start blowing warm air while I am driving, then back to cold again. It seems to happen more on hotter days, though that may just be a coincidence. Refridgerant level seems fine. Is there a fuse or relay somewhere that might be causing this symptom? HELP- summer is HOT here!

[johnb16a2]

How do you know the level is fine? Did you have an A/C shop check your system?

It will be worse in hotter weather because you are asking more from the system. If the level is low the other danger is the lubricant for the compressor is mixed with the refridgerant so low refridgerant mean low lubricant and could lead to compressor damage.

If the level is truly fine it could be the A/C relay near the batery or the pressure switch or a loose a/c belt. The pressure switch is attatched to one of the A/C lines or dryer (looks like a can behind the driver headlight) and when the pressure gets too low or high it's supposed to kill power to the compessor clutch so the compressor won't engage and frag. A bad belt could simply not turn the compressor enough to be efficient. GL